is death marked the start of a new,
much brighter era for Prešeren's public image. Janez
Bleiweis, a canny politician, sensed that the poet's
name might become famous one day, so he arranged a solemn
funeral and organised the erection of a monument, with
which the Slovene nation was supposed to honour Prešeren's
memory. A story about the collecting of money for this
monument is an excellent illustration of the then attitude
to the poet, as well as the wider attributes of the Slovene
character. In March and April 1849 the newspapers started
publishing calls for voluntary contributions. The Slovene
nation spent four years collecting the money, and 280
donors contributed a total of 626 goldinars. By comparison,
around the same time, the Slovenes in Carniola collected
1955 goldinars in six months for a monument to the Croatian
civil governor Jelačić. The Croatian governor was awarded
this honour for his involvement in suppressing the March
Revolution of 1848 and for returning Carniola to the unfavourable
rule from Vienna, which the Slovenes felt to be alien
to them. Now, the memory of Jelačić is very faint in Slovenia,
and only a few know of Bleiweis, but Prešeren and his
poetry are one of the firmest foundations of the self-confidence
of the contemporary Slovene nation.